A jar of Amish Refrigerator Pickles from a Swartzentruber Amish family in Ohio

Do Amish families play games?

Yes, Amish families do play games and read together in the evenings. Parents are involved in their children's activities. However, there are not long evenings in an Amish family. When the children get home from school, there are chores that must be done. At an early age, children have responsibilities assigned to them. After the evening meal, the school homework must be tackled, and before long it is bedtime. Amish are early risers and therefore go to bed early.

Today's recipe... Remember... Disclaimer: The Amish don't always follow updated USDA canning methods, they follow methods passed down from generation to generation. Use this recipe at your own discretion, or adapt it to your own method. I am sharing these recipes EXACTLY as they were sent to me and take no responsibility for them.

Ingredients
* 1 cup distilled white vinegar
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 2 cups white sugar
* 6 cups sliced cucumbers
* 1 cup sliced onions
* 1 cup sliced green bell peppers
Instructions
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil.
2. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.
3. Place the cucumbers, onions and green bell peppers in a large bowl.
4. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables.
5. Transfer to sterile containers and store in the refrigerator.

What is the Ordnung that the Amish live by?

Donald B. Kraybill in his book, The Riddle of Amish Culture, writes: "The Amish blueprint for expected behavior, called the Ordnung, regulates private, public, and ceremonial life. Ordnung does not translate readily into English. Sometimes rendered as ordnance or discipline, the Ordnung is best thought of as an ordering of the whole way of life... a code of conduct which the church maintains by tradition rather than by systematic or explicit rules. A member noted: The order is not written down. The people just know it, that's all. Rather than a packet or rules to memorize, the Ordnung is the understood behavior by which the Amish are expected to live. In the same way that the rules of grammar are learned by children, so the Ordnung, the grammar of order, is learned by Amish youth. The Ordnung evolved gradually over the decades as the church sought to strike a delicate balance between tradition and change. Specific details of the Ordnung vary across church districts and settlements."

Today's recipe... Remember... Disclaimer: The Amish don't always follow updated USDA canning methods, they follow methods passed down from generation to generation. Use this recipe at your own discretion, or adapt it to your own method. I am sharing these recipes EXACTLY as they were sent to me and take no responsibility for them.


1 gal. cucumbers
8 onions
2 green peppers 

When I found this recipe for Lemony Pickles, it made me think of Lemony Snicket... maybe I'll call them Lemony Snickets!


Here's what I did...

In my large stainless steel bowl, I mixed 14 cups of veggies (cucumbers and yellow squash this time... any number of combinations of fresh vegetables would work nicely... or just cukes)

4 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
and
2 Tbsp. canning and pickling salt


I mixed it all together well, covered the mixture with ice water and let it stand at room temperature for 3 hours.


In the meantime...

I made a spice bag using a square of cheesecloth... I added

1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. whole allspice

I tied it all up in the spice bag and set it aside.


In a large stainless steel saucepan, I combined

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice


1-1/4 cup granulated sugar


1-1/3 cup white vinegar


I added the spice bag to the brine mixture and brought it to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. I reduced the heat and boiled gently for a few minutes (recipe said 7 minutes, I think I went a little longer).

Then (after the 3 hour ice water soak) I drained the vegetables in a colander...



I added the veggies to the brine mixture and brought it all back to a boil, then discarded the spice bag.


After heating my pint jars and lids I added to each hot jar...

1 slice of lemon
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic


I packed the vegetables into the hot jars to within a generous half inch headspace. I ladled the hot pickling juice into the jar to cover the veggies, removing air bubbles and adjusting headspace as necessary. I wiped the rim with a damp cloth and tightened the lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars in a boiling water bath... ensuring they were completely covered with water, I brought the water to a boil and processed for 10 minutes.

After processing, I removed the jars from the canner using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool, and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar!


According to the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving... "If you find traditional pickles too astringent, try this refreshing alternative. Lemon juice provides a unique flavor, and a touch of sugar takes the bite out of the vinegar. For best flavor, let these pickles 'mature' for 4-6 weeks before using."